Wairarapa College had their best result in 38 years when they placed third equal at the Rankin Cup national secondary schoolboys hockey tournament in Napier last week.
The tourney attracts the top 16 schoolboy sides in the country and it was the closest Wairarapa College had come to winning the title since they captured the major prize in 1974.
Coached by Niheta Veale with assistance from Dave Blackwood, Wairarapa College went to Napier with the aim of at least repeating their effort of the previous year when they finished eighth.
And Blackwood is the first to concede that making it through to the semifinals and ending up third equal with pre-tournament favourites Hamilton Boys exceeded their expectations.
"Honestly the boys played out of their skins," Blackwood said. "They really worked hard for each other all the way through. It was just a really good effort."
Wairarapa College scored 19 goals in their six matches and conceded 19 with the highlight being the 9-3 thumping of Western Heights in their first pool game.
Blackwood singles out the 3-2 quarterfinal win over Timaru Boys and the 3-3 draw in the third and fourth playoff match with Hamilton Boys as perhaps their best performances in Napier.
Timaru Boys had looked more than handy in finishing top of their pool but while there was only one goal in it at the end, they were flattered by that scoreline as Wairarapa College dominated territory and possession.
Against the powerful Hamilton Boys unit Wairarapa College were the rank underdogs and created a tremendous buzz around the good-sized crowd as they went out to a 3-1 lead. And while Hamilton Boys did even up things at 3-3, their third goal, which came in the last minute of play, resulted from a penalty corner awarded in contentious circumstances.
"Yes, we were a bit unlucky not to win that one but that's the way it goes sometimes, you have to grin and bear it," Blackwood said.
Hard-working midfielder Tane Workman was named most valuable player for Wairarapa College but he is one of a handful of this year's squad who won't be available next year.
The good news is three members of the Dalefield premier men's team - Mitchell Blackwood, Alex Sumenko-Bucknell and Joseph Robertson - will be on deck again and they will provide the nucleus of a Wairarapa College side which should again challenge hard for Rankin
Cup spoilsLast week was, of course, made even more notable for Wairarapa College hockey by their girls team finishing runners-up to St Cuthbert's at the Federation Cup national tournament at Clareville. The final, played before one of the biggest crowds ever to watch a hockey match in this region, was won by St Cuthbert's 1-0 but it could have gone either way on the run of play.
The result means Wairarapa College failed to achieve their ambition of being only the third team in Federation Cup history to win the trophy in successive years - but nobody could ever accuse them of not having given it their best shot.
St Matthew's Collegiate, third equal in 2011, also had good reason to feel satisfied with their Federation Cup efforts. Very much in a rebuilding mode they eventually ended up in a playoff for ninth and 10th with Christchurch Girls with a 0-0 draw being the result there.
Dalefield surviveDalefield are guaranteed their spot in the Wellington premier division men's hockey competition in 2013. Through finishing last this year there were prospects of them being involved in a promotion-relegation match with one of the top four premier second division sides but that will not happen.